Thane-Borivali ‘Twin Tunnel Vision’: PM Modi to Conduct Groundbreaking Ceremony on Feb 19?

With the National Wildlife Board’s nod for the Thane-Borivali twin tunnel in Mumbai, there is a possibility that the Maharashtra government may carry out the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on February 19, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the state, said sources.

The tunnel will pass through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, which is home to 18 reserved wildlife species, and cut down the travel time between Thane and Borivali to 20 minutes, from the current one hour.

The groundbreaking ceremony of this project was to happen on January 12, when PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Atal Setu’, but had to be deferred as the nod was awaited.

WHAT NEXT?

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had announced the project in 2015, when he was handling the public works department.
• The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which has successfully constructed the longest sea bridge in the country joining Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, has got the green nod from the National Wildlife Board.
• It will also require the final nod from the Central Environment and Forest Department, for which the state government has submitted a proposal to the Centre.

PROJECT DETAILS

The MMRDA will invest approximately Rs 16,000 crore in the project. The work has been awarded to Hyderabad-based ‘Megha Engineering Infrastructure’.

According to the MMRDA, they will build 10.25-km-long tunnels, while the approach road will be 1.1km.

MMRDA Commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh shared the news of receiving the much-awaited nod of the National Board of Wildlife for the twin tunnels project on X: “Happy to inform you that the National Board of Wildlife has approved the Thane-Borivalli Twin Tunnel. This marks an important milestone in starting work of this watershed project.”

Original news source